School board mulls tenure, future contracts

By AMANDA HICKEY Daily News Staff

Published: Saturday, February 22, 2014 at 12:00 PM.

Less than 300 of Onslow County Schools 1,817 licensed staff and support staff will be offered a four-year contract this year as a result of recent legislation that eliminates teacher tenure, according to information presented to the Onslow County Board of Education Friday morning.

Assistant Superintendent Barry Collins told the Board that 25 percent of proficient teachers that have been at the school system for three consecutive years would be offered the contract.

Of the 1,817 total licensed teachers and support staff, 1,095 have been with Onslow County Schools for three years. Of them, 1,070 were deemed proficient on their most recent evaluation. It is estimated that only 270, or 25 percent, of those would be offered a four-year contract with the school system.

Recently passed state legislation prohibits local boards from granting tenure to teachers who had not earned it as of Aug. 1, 2013. Teachers who did have tenure by then would lose their status on June 30, 2018, whether or not they accept a four-year contract. If they accept a four-year contract, a teachers’ tenure is automatically canceled, according to information presented to the board.

“The deal is this: Teachers who accept this deal will get a four-year contract, they will get $500 the first year added to their salary and then each year after that for the next three years they will get an additional $500. So it’s $500 first year, $1,000, $1,500, $2,000. If you add that up, in cash it’s $5,000. In terms of raising their salary it’s $2,000,” Collins told the Board.

Collins said it is not yet clear if the money would stay after that time period.

“It is our belief that would stay; it would stay in their salaries,” he said.

Collins said that while the money does not sound like much, it would also be calculated into the retirement formula.

“It could end up being tens of thousands of dollars so it’s not just $500,” he said.

Collins also noted that school officials cannot predict what will happen with the state’s next budget, though North Carolina officials did set aside $10 million for teacher contracts.

The superintendent, will review the performance evaluations for all teachers employed for at least three consecutive years, according to information from the board. The superintendent would then recommend 25 percent of them to be offered the contracts starting with the 2014-15 school year.

The Board of Education, he said, would be able to approve the superintendent’s recommendation or select other teachers that meet the same standards.

Collins said the plan is typically to offer the contracts to the top 25 percent of teachers at each school because not every principal or administrator evaluates staff the same.

In situations when those directly below the line dividing the top 25 percent from the rest are tied with those immediately within the line, the school system will have a system to manage tie breakers, Collins said. Currently they are considering seniority or a lottery; however, a method has not been finalized.

“The only issue is what do we do when we draw the line, how do we choose? The way it looks right now is we’d go with seniority first. Believe it or not, there will be some that have the same years of experience then we apply lottery to that set,” he said.

If teachers turn down the contracts, the contracts would not be offered to other teachers because legislation requires contracts be offered to 25 percent, not that 25 percent of paid teachers be placed on four-year contracts, Collins clarified.

“I believe that those who accept it will get their raises and the state will retain the rest of the money,” Chief Finance Officer Jeff Hollamon said.

After June 30, 2014, no contracts would be offered until the 2018-19 school year, according to Collins. The 75 percent not offered a contract would retain tenure, if they already had it with Onslow County Schools, until 2018 .

At the end of each four-year contract, teachers would be offered a one-year, two-year or four-year contract, according to information presented to the board.

“Whether you like it or not tenure is going away … At least this is an attempt to take away some of the pain for it going away,” said Board of Education member Jeff Brown.

Board of Education member Earl Taylor said he foresaw tenure disappearing but is not sure the contracts will take away the hurt.

“It would have been much simpler to grandfather everybody in. It may have taken a year or two, but it would have eliminated a lot of turmoil,” Earl Taylor

The Onslow County Board of Education is scheduled to approve a plan finalizing how to select the 25 percent, including how to determine ties, on March 4. Names would be approved in May and contracts would be approved in June.

“We want to do what’s best for our employees so whatever is going to benefit them, that’s what we’re going to do under these guidelines,” Collins said.

Amanda Hickey is the government reporter at The Daily News. She can be reached at amanda.hickey@jdnews.com.

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Less than 300 of Onslow County Schools 1,817 licensed staff and support staff will be offered a four-year contract this year as a result of recent legislation that eliminates teacher tenure, according to information presented to the Onslow County Board of Education Friday morning.

Assistant Superintendent Barry Collins told the Board that 25 percent of proficient teachers that have been at the school system for three consecutive years would be offered the contract.

Of the 1,817 total licensed teachers and support staff, 1,095 have been with Onslow County Schools for three years. Of them, 1,070 were deemed proficient on their most recent evaluation. It is estimated that only 270, or 25 percent, of those would be offered a four-year contract with the school system.

Recently passed state legislation prohibits local boards from granting tenure to teachers who had not earned it as of Aug. 1, 2013. Teachers who did have tenure by then would lose their status on June 30, 2018, whether or not they accept a four-year contract. If they accept a four-year contract, a teachers’ tenure is automatically canceled, according to information presented to the board.

“The deal is this: Teachers who accept this deal will get a four-year contract, they will get $500 the first year added to their salary and then each year after that for the next three years they will get an additional $500. So it’s $500 first year, $1,000, $1,500, $2,000. If you add that up, in cash it’s $5,000. In terms of raising their salary it’s $2,000,” Collins told the Board.

Collins said it is not yet clear if the money would stay after that time period.

“It is our belief that would stay; it would stay in their salaries,” he said.

Collins said that while the money does not sound like much, it would also be calculated into the retirement formula.

“It could end up being tens of thousands of dollars so it’s not just $500,” he said.

Collins also noted that school officials cannot predict what will happen with the state’s next budget, though North Carolina officials did set aside $10 million for teacher contracts.

The superintendent, will review the performance evaluations for all teachers employed for at least three consecutive years, according to information from the board. The superintendent would then recommend 25 percent of them to be offered the contracts starting with the 2014-15 school year.

The Board of Education, he said, would be able to approve the superintendent’s recommendation or select other teachers that meet the same standards.

Collins said the plan is typically to offer the contracts to the top 25 percent of teachers at each school because not every principal or administrator evaluates staff the same.

In situations when those directly below the line dividing the top 25 percent from the rest are tied with those immediately within the line, the school system will have a system to manage tie breakers, Collins said. Currently they are considering seniority or a lottery; however, a method has not been finalized.

“The only issue is what do we do when we draw the line, how do we choose? The way it looks right now is we’d go with seniority first. Believe it or not, there will be some that have the same years of experience then we apply lottery to that set,” he said.

If teachers turn down the contracts, the contracts would not be offered to other teachers because legislation requires contracts be offered to 25 percent, not that 25 percent of paid teachers be placed on four-year contracts, Collins clarified.

“I believe that those who accept it will get their raises and the state will retain the rest of the money,” Chief Finance Officer Jeff Hollamon said.

After June 30, 2014, no contracts would be offered until the 2018-19 school year, according to Collins. The 75 percent not offered a contract would retain tenure, if they already had it with Onslow County Schools, until 2018 .

At the end of each four-year contract, teachers would be offered a one-year, two-year or four-year contract, according to information presented to the board.

“Whether you like it or not tenure is going away … At least this is an attempt to take away some of the pain for it going away,” said Board of Education member Jeff Brown.

Board of Education member Earl Taylor said he foresaw tenure disappearing but is not sure the contracts will take away the hurt.

“It would have been much simpler to grandfather everybody in. It may have taken a year or two, but it would have eliminated a lot of turmoil,” Earl Taylor

The Onslow County Board of Education is scheduled to approve a plan finalizing how to select the 25 percent, including how to determine ties, on March 4. Names would be approved in May and contracts would be approved in June.

“We want to do what’s best for our employees so whatever is going to benefit them, that’s what we’re going to do under these guidelines,” Collins said.

Amanda Hickey is the government reporter at The Daily News. She can be reached at amanda.hickey@jdnews.com.